kennedy



H. KENNEDY.

MUD GUN.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 26, I9I8.

Patented Malz-2, 1920.

2 SHEETSwSIIEET I.

INVENTOFI H. KENNEDY.

MUD GUN,

APPLlcMloN FILED APR. 26. 1918.

1,332,293, Patented Mm. 2, 1920.

WITNESSES' INVENTOR UNITED 'sTATEs PATENT ori-Fica.

HARRY KENNEDY, 0F BUFFALO, NEW YORK To all whom t may concern:

Be it known thatI, HARRY KENNEDY, a residentof Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in/ Mud-Guns, of which the following is a specification.

This invention' relates to mud guns for luting the .tap holes in blast furnaces.

j The object of the invention is to provide a mounting for the ygun which will permit easy positioning and adjustment thereof at various angles, and to provide means for elongating the gun after. it is-positioned and before discharge of the clay luting in order to force the nose firmly into the tap hole of the furnace, or against the walls thereof, and to hold it firmly in that position.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of one form of mudv gun in operative position relative to the tap hole of a blast furnace; Fig. 2 is a partial central. vertical longitudinal section through the gun; and Fig. 3 is a side elevation and partial section of the device mounted on a' furnace.

0n account of the great heat and gas pressure existing at the tap hole of blast furnaces, so-called mud guns are provided for luting the tap hole with plastic fire clay. These consist of cylinders, adapted to be lled with the plastic fire clay, and having a piston mounted therein to force the mud out the open end, or nose, of the gun.

In use the nose of the mud gun is pushed forward in the iron notch, or tap hole of the furnace and it is held there by some form of latch. Ordinarily this latch consists of locking extensions or llevers situated near the forward end of the gun, connected to a shaft having a fixed position relative to the furnace wall or supporting columns. This arrangement permits little or no adjustment of the gun in its horizontal and vertical planes, since the latches are ordinarily short 'and rigid. The-result is that the nose of the gun cannot be accurately positioned in the iron notch, or tap hole, and the pressure from within the furnace drives back the mud around the nose of the gun, so that a great deal of the luting is wasted. With such devices frequently several` discharges of the gun are necessary before the tap hole can be completely closed.

' -These diiicultles are overcome by the device forming ,the subject of the present invention. In the drawings the tap hole H to be closed is shown in the wall F of a blast Specification of Letters Patent.

i Application filed April 26, V'1.918. Serial No. 230,982.

flanged head 3 and having Patented Mar). 2,1920.

l'furnace 'of ordinary construction. The device for closing said tap holecomprises a cylinder 2 closed at its outer end by a o leading thereinto just inside said head a port 4to which is connected a pipe 4a leading to any suitable source of. Huid pressure. The cylinder 2 1s providedr externally with longitudinal flanges 5 which are provided withy a series of holes 6 therethrough. A cylindrical member 7 having an enlarged head 8 acts as a piston in the chamber 9 of cylinder 2, the outward travel of said piston being limited by an internal annular shoulder 10 at the open end of the cylinder 2,-a suitable packu ing 11 being provided aroundthe slidable cylinder 7. The outer end of the member 7 is closed by a wall 13 to which is rigidly bolted a second and smaller cylinder 12, in the chamber 15 of which is a piston 14. A port 16 leads into the chamber 15 and is connected by pipes 17 and 18 to any suitable lsource of iuid pressure. It will be understood that the pipe connections 4a and 18 are provided at some point in their lengths with a hose so that they are flexible. The piston 14 is connected by rod 19 to the clay ejecting piston or plunger 20 working in a cylinder 21 which is joined to the cylinder 12 by a tapered reducingconnection 21a as shown in .lig. 3. Plastic re clay is supplied to the cylinder 21 through charging opening 22 when the .plunger 20 is retracted, and is forcedy out of the cylinder 21 through thetapered nose piece or terminal nozzle 23- gage trunnions 29, on the sides of cylinder 12.` This allows the nose piece 23 to be readily moved in the vertical plane and the swinging of the crane and swiveling ofthe l yoke 28 permit free horizontal adjustment.

Cables 30have hooks or loops at each end, f

.which are adapted to be attached to the .iianges' b* engagement with one of the holes 6. T e other ends of the cables are then attached to' hooks 31 on upright beams '32, of the `furnace structure. These cables when attached form an abutment for the suspended gun. By changing the engagement of the cables to different ones of holes 6, the distance of the 'mud n from the furnace tap hole H may be varied, as will be apparent.

The operation of the device is as follows :i

ber 9. This advances the cylinder 7 until the nose piece23 is forced firm y into the tap hole H, against pressure of the fluid material, and of the gas in the furnace. After this has been done, pressure in the cylinder 9 will hold the nose of the mud gun Afirmly in position. Then fluid pressure is admitted through port 16 to the chamber l5. This drives the piston 14 and plunger 20, forcing the plastic clay through the nose piece 23 into the tap hole, effectively shutting oli' thel flow from the furnace and luting up the opening therein. When the clay has been discharged from the gun, pressure in chamber 9 is released, which permits ready removal of the mud gun for refilling and reuse.

It will 'be understood that other pressure l means for elongating the gun can be used, as

more convenient.

a spring, a winding arrangement, screw, etc., but the fluid pressure is quicker and The many advanta es of this 'construction will be apparent to t ose familiar with the art.

'I claim: i

1. Means for closing the tap holes of blast furnaces, comprising a gun provided with amud forcin piston and a fluid pressure actuating cylinder therefor, means mova'bly supporting said gun, /means -to anchor,- -the gun to an abutment, and means between the anchoring means 'and the actuating cyll tinder to elongate said gun.'

e. .Means or closing the tap holes o'f blast i furnaces, comprising a gun provided with a mud forcing piston and a iuidf pressure ac my hand.

tuating cylinder therefor, means movably supporting said gun, means to anchor the gun to an abutment, and fluid presspre means between the anchoring means and actuating cylinder to elongate the gun.

3. Means for closing the tap holes f blast furnaces, comprising a mud gun provided with "an actuating cylinder, a base member for said gun, means movably supporting said gun and base member, means to anchor thebase member to an abutment, and an extensible connection between said base member and the gun actuatin cylinder.

4, Means for closing the tap lgi'oles of blast furnaces, comprising a muda gun provided with an actuating'cylinder, a base member for said gun, -means movably supporting said gun and base'member, means to anchor the base member to an abutment, and a member extensible by liuidpressure and connecting said-base to the actuating cylinder.'

5. Means for closing the tap holes of blast furnaces, comprising a 'Huid actuating mud gun, a base member therefor, means movably su porti said gun and base member, means ,or anc oring said base member at different distances from the tap hole, and a ieldable extensible connection between said Y ase member and the gun. f

6. Means-for closing the tap holes of blast furnaces, comprising a Huid pressure gun, av, base member therefor, means movabl)7 supporting said lgun and base member, means for anchoring said basepmember at variable distances from the tap pressure extensible cyhnder base member to said f7. Means for closing the tap holes o f blast furnaces, comprising a Agun provided with a piston and' a fluid pressure actuating cy inder therefor, aswinging arm, flexible means for suspending. said gun from said arm', means to anchor the gun to an abutment, and means between the anchoring means and the actuating cylinder to elongate said gun. 1

In testimony whereof I have hereuntoset.

.HARRY KENNEDY.

connecting the hole, and a-J fluid 8-5 

